iPhone 5.. 32GB vs 64GB and resale value

GetSwole37 · Sep 27, 2012

One thing i have enjoyed about the iPhone is its resale value. When the 3G came out, I bought the 16gb model and sold it two years later for 180, losing 20 dollars on my investment (original price 199). 20 dollars for the use of the phone is a great deal. When the 4 came out, I grabbed the 32gb feeling that I could probably sell for at the least a 40 dollar loss. I was a little disappointed when other posters on Craigslist were selling theirs for as low as 200. That meant that instead of the 20-40 dollar loss, I was looking at closer to 70 (this is what I consider what I paid for to have 32gb of extra space). Meanwhile the 16gb iPhone 4 sell for 185-200. Therefore, their loss is still almost nothing.

. In two years.. I'm sure the 128gb will be available. I think the prices will drop for what i will call the iPhone 6. 16gb~99, 32gb~199, 64gb~299 128~399

My guess, the 32gb will remain at the 200 dollar resale value range while the 64gb will be about 25 dollars more. so now, instead of taking a 70 dollar loss, the premium to get a 64gb now and then trade will be in the 150 range. So instead of basically paying 20-50 bucks out of pocket to upgrade, you are now looking at around 150.

So my questions

what are your thoughts on this?
Would this shy you away from the 64gb?
Any reason to think that the value would hold at at least 300?

I have a 32gb iPhone 5. Debating buying the 64 and saying.. Only 100 more.. But in long run, I know it's more Than that when I sell. It wil be closer to 150. Almost as much as what people pay for another phone.

I did get to about 1gb on my 32gb phone. Lots of apps.. Too many actually that I didn't even use and no longer on my new iphone5 as i told myself i would do better. Same with photos. I had about 5 GB of music and 19gigs of video and photos. I realized I took a lot of retakes and never deleted anything. I didn't put on my new phone and after going through them, I am actually in the 8gb category that I actually have decided to keep on pc instead. being careful not to keep the retakes.

I have put my music on google music and using Skydrive and google drive. Hate the fact there is a 5gb limit for free though.

I am not one who likes to plug phone and sync and stuff, so why I like my space

nepalisherpa · Sep 27, 2012

Since you are asking us for our thoughts on this, here's mine. I buy a phone based on my need. I do not worry about how much I can get for it in the future. 32GB works the best for me and that is what I bought.

GetSwole37 said:
One thing i have enjoyed about the iPhone is its resale value. When the 3G came out, I bought the 16gb model and sold it two years later for 180, losing 20 dollars on my investment (original price 199). 20 dollars for the use of the phone is a great deal. When the 4 came out, I grabbed the 32gb feeling that I could probably sell for at the least a 40 dollar loss. I was a little disappointed when other posters on Craigslist were selling theirs for as low as 200. That meant that instead of the 20-40 dollar loss, I was looking at closer to 70 (this is what I consider what I paid for to have 32gb of extra space). Meanwhile the 16gb iPhone 4 sell for 185-200. Therefore, their loss is still almost nothing.

. In two years.. I'm sure the 128gb will be available. I think the prices will drop for what i will call the iPhone 6. 16gb~99, 32gb~199, 64gb~299 128~399

My guess, the 32gb will remain at the 200 dollar resale value range while the 64gb will be about 25 dollars more. so now, instead of taking a 70 dollar loss, the premium to get a 64gb now and then trade will be in the 150 range. So instead of basically paying 20-50 bucks out of pocket to upgrade, you are now looking at around 150.

So my questions

what are your thoughts on this?
Would this shy you away from the 64gb?
Any reason to think that the value would hold at at least 300?

I have a 32gb iPhone 5. Debating buying the 64 and saying.. Only 100 more.. But in long run, I know it's more Than that when I sell. It wil be closer to 150. Almost as much as what people pay for another phone.

I did get to about 1gb on my 32gb phone. Lots of apps.. Too many actually that I didn't even use and no longer on my new iphone5 as i told myself i would do better. Same with photos. I had about 5 GB of music and 19gigs of video and photos. I realized I took a lot of retakes and never deleted anything. I didn't put on my new phone and after going through them, I am actually in the 8gb category that I actually have decided to keep on pc instead. being careful not to keep the retakes.

I have put my music on google music and using Skydrive and google drive. Hate the fact there is a 5gb limit for free though.

I am not one who likes to plug phone and sync and stuff, so why I like my space

ZBoater · Sep 27, 2012

You are not going to get $100 more for it when you sell it. Go look at what the 4Ss are selling for in both flavors, and you will see the difference is less than $50. Buy because you need it. If you are looking for resale value, but stocks or real estate. Despite the bad economy, those are better bets than an electronic gadget for resale value.

Interstella5555 · Sep 27, 2012

I'm sorry, did you say you view a phone as an investment??

GetSwole37 · Sep 27, 2012

ZBoater said:
You are not going to get $100 more for it when you sell it. Go look at what the 4Ss are selling for in both flavors, and you will see the difference is less than $50. Buy because you need it. If you are looking for resale value, but stocks or real estate. Despite the bad economy, those are better bets than an electronic gadget for resale value.

yeah, i wasnt expecting to get the 100 difference. unlike this year, where the difference is around $50 between a 16gb and a 32 gb. i feel that potentially, the drop will be a lot bigger. somewhere in the line of $125-150. mainly because 128gb phones would be out.

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Interstella5555 said:
I'm sorry, did you say you view a phone as an investment??

i probably used the wrong term there. definately lose money. but when you buy something, if you plan to sell it back, you do have to look at the resale value.

I had a friend and she couldnt get a nibble on her craiglist posting of her Android phone. Iphone resale value is one reason why I dont mind dishing out cash for the phone. I know that after the initial 200 dollars that I paid for my original iphone, since then, I have never had to pay more than 50-75 dollars on the next one.

pre iphone days, it was normal to get a decent phone for that price. So getting one of the best phones on the market every 2 years and only having to pay 50-75 is nice.

I dont see how people can go and buy a iphone every couple of years and spend 200+ if they didnt sell their phone. If I wasnt able to get what i get after resale, I probably would have stayed with the 3GS phone, skipped the 4 until LTE was available.

think my question is, by going with the 64, am I getting to the point where in two years, i will have to make up about 125 dollars to 150 dollars? Obviously more than the usual 50-75. If that is true, then may be wiser to just manage my data on my phone and stick to the 32gb.

nostresshere · Sep 27, 2012

16 gb is just fine for me

for the other 3 phones in the family, 8gb would probably work okay

WindowsTraitor · Sep 27, 2012

the 16 4 was going for 200 and the 32 for 234 and 260 for the 64 ebay instant sale. For resale value the lower GB the better.

on 16gb people broke even.

on 32gb people lost almost 70

on 64 people lost over 100.

That is if you can buy it subsidized.

JayLenochiniMac · Sep 27, 2012

Best return of your money is the lowest capacity (this is also true with base model vehicles, etc.). However, getting the capacity that suits you well should be a priority as you'll be the one using it for a year or so before selling it.

Interstella5555 · Sep 28, 2012

GetSwole37 said:
yeah, i wasnt expecting to get the 100 difference. unlike this year, where the difference is around $50 between a 16gb and a 32 gb. i feel that potentially, the drop will be a lot bigger. somewhere in the line of $125-150. mainly because 128gb phones would be out.

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i probably used the wrong term there. definately lose money. but when you buy something, if you plan to sell it back, you do have to look at the resale value.

I had a friend and she couldnt get a nibble on her craiglist posting of her Android phone. Iphone resale value is one reason why I dont mind dishing out cash for the phone. I know that after the initial 200 dollars that I paid for my original iphone, since then, I have never had to pay more than 50-75 dollars on the next one.

pre iphone days, it was normal to get a decent phone for that price. So getting one of the best phones on the market every 2 years and only having to pay 50-75 is nice.

I dont see how people can go and buy a iphone every couple of years and spend 200+ if they didnt sell their phone. If I wasnt able to get what i get after resale, I probably would have stayed with the 3GS phone, skipped the 4 until LTE was available.

think my question is, by going with the 64, am I getting to the point where in two years, i will have to make up about 125 dollars to 150 dollars? Obviously more than the usual 50-75. If that is true, then may be wiser to just manage my data on my phone and stick to the 32gb.

Because if I buy a $200 phone every 2 years I'm paying $8 a month for it, or $0.25 a day. If I get crazy I'll spend $0.50 a day for a high end model. I don't upgrade every year and I don't worry about the resale value of my "investment." Beside, I don't know how people can buy phones when they put themselves in the position that it's not really theirs.

darngooddesign · Sep 28, 2012

I didn't buy the 64Gb because if its relative resale value, I bought it because I wanted the large drive.

JFC · Sep 28, 2012

I've always been able to sell my iPhone after 1 to 1.5 years of use at the exact price I paid for it, if not more. I got the 4S on launch day and sold it for an additional $50 on i5 launch day. I think I could have made $100 on it if I waited, but got a call only 20 minutes after listing it on craig's list.

Timbro69 · Jan 15, 2013

Getswole37, I was wondering the exact same thing as you and I also could probably get by with a 32 GB but I would not have to manage it so much with the 64 GB so I was hoping that the 64 GB would sell for more on eBay and help to justify the added costs of having the 64.
I have not confirmed the numbers by looking on eBay myself but I trust that the statistics here are correct so basically if I spend another hundred dollars getting a 64 GB instead of the 32 then it's going to cost me $50-$75 in the long run

barkomatic · Jan 15, 2013

One factor which may throw off your expected resale value will be if Apple starts releasing updated models more often. When you go to sell it, instead of being two models behind, it might be 3 or even 4 models behind in two years.

LapsangSouchong · Jan 15, 2013

I buy the iPhone 64 gig for its size, not resale value.
I keep the box, and use a case and screen protector to help the resale value.

I bought my 64GB 4s for 399, and sold it to Amazon for 389.

Ste Nova · Jan 15, 2013

how are you all managing to sell phones for allmost the same as you paid for them?? are the buyers stupid?

LapsangSouchong · Jan 15, 2013

Ste Nova said:
how are you all managing to sell phones for allmost the same as you paid for them?? are the buyers stupid?

I sold mine to amazon.

It wasn't much more than gazelle, apple, at&t... were offering.

They will then sell it to someone who doesn't want a contract, or to someone out of the U.S.

chambone · Jan 15, 2013

Ste Nova said:
how are you all managing to sell phones for allmost the same as you paid for them?? are the buyers stupid?

No, the sellers, because they convinced themselves the 50-60 bucks a month for two years doesn't include hardware payments.

KentuckyHouse · Jan 15, 2013

Ste Nova said:
how are you all managing to sell phones for allmost the same as you paid for them?? are the buyers stupid?

No, the buyers aren't stupid. When you buy a phone on contract and get it for $199, the phone is still worth the "real" price of $649.

Example...I got my 4S using an upgrade on AT&T. I paid $199 on launch day. I sold it 2 months ago for nearly $400. Why? Because someone was buying it out-of-contract and I'd had it unlocked through AT&T.

Another example...my wife's iPhone 4 that she'd got with an upgrade through AT&T. Again, she paid $199. I sold it around the same time I sold my 4S for almost $200. Again, it was unlocked through AT&T just before selling it.

If you know what you're doing, you're patient, and you know where to list phones, you can easily sell your "upgrade" phone for a (sometimes) huge profit. I'm far enough along in the buying/selling/trading of phones now that I don't spend "new" money on phones. Each phone I sell is paying for the next one (and I'm usually coming out with extra $$$ in my pocket). You couldn't make a living at it, but you can absolutely get the newest phones without having to fork out more money than you started with.

Leonard1818 · Jan 15, 2013

Ste Nova said:
how are you all managing to sell phones for allmost the same as you paid for them?? are the buyers stupid?

Here in the US, we get subsidized pricing... so a $650 16GB iPhone "costs us*" $~200 if we're eligible for an upgrade (i.e. the signing of a new contract).

For people who aren't eligible for an upgrade, they would have to pay the full $650 for the same 16GB iPhone.

Therefore, those who are not eligible are more than willing to pay $200 for a used iPhone versus the $650 for a new one.

Ste Nova · Jan 15, 2013

chambone said:
No, the sellers, because they convinced themselves the 50-60 bucks a month for two years doesn't include hardware payments.

lol

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Leonard1818 said:
Here in the US, we get subsidized pricing... so a $650 16GB iPhone "costs us*" $~200 if we're eligible for an upgrade (i.e. the signing of a new contract).

For people who aren't eligible for an upgrade, they would have to pay the full $650 for the same 16GB iPhone.

Therefore, those who are not eligible are more than willing to pay $200 for a used iPhone versus the $650 for a new one.

i'm buying my iphone 5 out right, i'm eligible for the subsized 24month phone.... but cash is king

GetSwole37 · Jan 15, 2013

I am glad I bought the 32GB one. Slowly, I have started to add crappy apps that I know I never use. Also I still keep multiple pics of bad shots that I should delete. Yet, I still have over 15GB left on my phone. I have an unlimited plan and now find myself listening to Pandora and Slacker radio. Really makes music a little more fresh Than my own music which I would skip after a while.

clyde2801 · Jan 15, 2013

Just like the iPad, higher storage equals higher loss at resale. People looking for used iOS devices are wanting the cheapest deal possible, and are NOT looking to buy the higher end devices.

I got the 16gb iPhone 5 two weeks ago, and got BB to match Wally World's sale. I'm having to be a bit judicious about what I put on it, but it's handling the job quite nicely. If nothing else, it's forced me to do some housecleaning of apps that I've downloaded for free that I don't use.

It also helps that I've got my must have videos on my iPad.

KentuckyHouse · Jan 15, 2013

clyde2801 said:
Just like the iPad, higher storage equals higher loss at resale. People looking for used iOS devices are wanting the cheapest deal possible, and are NOT looking to buy the higher end devices.

This is spot on. Couldn't have said it better myself.

Brown Trout · Jan 15, 2013

I bought the 32G because I like to load movies for trips. The 16G 4S wasn't enough. I did not consider resale value of a 64-vs-32 because it didn't matter to me.

tymaster50 · Jan 15, 2013

I always wondered why people buy phones to put them on a contract with the same carrier, Why buy an AT&T 16gb iPhone 4S for $200 when you can get it for $100 officially?

iPhone 5.. 32GB vs 64GB and resale value

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